The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-03-17
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: -Four Full Regiments"

When week before last the communicate
membership of this church passed into the
four thousand, now reaching four thousand
and forty-iive the first part of my text came
TO my mind, and bethought myself what a
grand thing it would be if the four thousand
OF our COMMUNICATE membership would like
the four thousand of the ancient Temple
make it their lifetime business TO praise the
Lord. Let them all take harp and timbrel
and anthem and doxolo2y,
The alluSion of my second text is TO the
Passover which commemorated the deliver-
ance of the Children of Israel on the night
when the destroying angel sped through the
land of Egypt, destroying the enemy but
saving the lsgaalt,s, because on the door
posts of their dwellings was sprinkled the
blood of lamb To-day we come to celebrate
grander Passover all peril going away from
our soul at the sight of the sprinEled blood of
the Lamb of God on the door-posts of our
hearts, Christ our Passover, sacrificed for
us. This day shall be unto you for me-
morial.n
The Sacramento Sabbath, whether it
comes in an American church or an English
chapel or Scotch kirk, is more impressive
than any other Sabbath. Its light is holier
calmer, sweeter; its voices more TENDER its
touch is softer; its memories are more chast-
ened. The fruits of the Christian life sudden
ly ripen, like orchards on the hill fronting the
South. The wine of the Holy Sacrament
vineyards, and the bread broken seems to
drop from the hand of Him who parted the
loaves for the five thousand. We walk to the
church of God with more thoughtful face and
with quieter step. The jubilant songs of 9TH
er Sundays are struck through with
pensiveness and are all a tremble
with tears; and when, at the close
of the service, at the door we shake hands, it
is with more cordial grasp, because we feel
thrilling through our body, and mind, and
soul the great doctrines of Christian brother
hood; and our minds so back to our fore
fathers celebrating the Sacrament in times Of
persecution in Scotland among the Highlands;
concentrating the dying love of Christ,
while they were pursued of their enemies,
pouring the wine into rough wooden cups,
dipping the waters of baptism from the
mountain rock, until one day they heard the
voices of their enemies coming up the hill,
and the pastor cried out: "Oh Lord,
the Shepherd, have mercy on the Sheep"
and instantly there was a roaring heard
as of great foods and sure enough a cloud
had burst and there were great torrents run
ming down the mountain side that whelmed
their foes with sudden wrath. What de
liverance it was forthem on that Sacramento
dry! Oh, that ON this Sacramental day the
cloud of Gods mercy might burst and our
Gins be whelmed and our souls be saved This
is the amethyst of days. This is the pearl of
days. This is the diamond of days This is
lne udS VI ulSS, Among tne ten thousand
million ages of eternity the first Sabbath of
March, 1897, will be to you significant and
memorable, for this day shall be unto you"
for ever and for ever "a memorial
There is much in the scene of to-day to i'm
press lis because it is time of reinforcement
US I'd to remark that if | ever lived to see
our membership four thousand | thought |
would be willing to say with one of old: Now,
Lord, lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace,
for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation" But
| have changed my mind, and | never so
much wanted to stay as now, so as to see them
all enlisted for God and to watch their victo-
ries. What might they not accomplish in the
way of making the world better If they
were all baptized with a double por-
ton of the Holy Ghost! -Four thousand.
That is four full regiments. as military men
count thousand to a regiment. l think not
one hypocrite amongst them. Taken into
the church sometimes IN large numbers, but
each ole as carefully examined as to change
of heart and evidence of regeneration as
though he or she We're the only one present.
ing himself OF herself Many of our former
members have passed away into the skies,
and have joined the church triumphant,
but we have four thousand and more
left for the church militant To
arms! Quit YOU like men, We want no
reserve corps among them Go into action all
of you. Some will be officers and command
Some will make cavalry charge. Some will
be sharpshooters. Some will stand guard
Some will be on picket duty. Many Of you
will belong to the rank and file. Let there be
no stragglers, none off on furlough, not one
desert2r. With Christ for Commander in
chief, and the one-staiTed, blood-stripe ban
ner of manager and cross to leal the way, give
tie order that the General in the war gave
when, rising i'll his stirrups his hair flying in
the wind, he cried out till all the host heard
him: " Forward! the whole lnen
There is also something in SInh Soapa In
deeply impress one, because it rehearses a
death scene. Now, you know there is some
thing very touching in such an incident
Though you are in a hotel and it is a stranger
that is dying, how softly YOU move about the
place. and if you come up to his couch it is
with uncovered head. Even the voice of the
Jester is stopped, and when the eyes of that
stranger are closed it is with emotion But |
am to tell you this morning Of a death such
as has never before Or since occurred
When we die We die for ourselves and the
crisis is alleyiated by all beneficent ministries.
Bathings for the hands; bathings for the
head; bathings for the feet the light turned
Gown 10" or set in just the right place. al
the offices Of affection about us when We
come to die But not so with Jesus he
died not for Himself, but He died in
torment and He died for others. He might
have moved around in gardens made by His
own hand, an earthly potentate amid vine
stead of being tossed in the fishing boat on
IlberiuS, He might have chosen a sunshiny
1ay and pleasant wave for the lake crossing.
Instead Of being followed by an unwashed
rabble He might have charmed sanhedrims
and universities with His eloquence. In
stead of cross and a bunch of twisted
brambles on His brow he might have dice
IN the castle of Roman merchant, the all
bland with lilies and frankincense. But no
lie died in torture; the good for the bad; the
KIND for the cruel; the wise for the ignorant
the divine for the human. Oh how tenderly
we 1eel toward any one who has done grea
kindness and perhaps at the importing Of his
own life: How we ought to feel TOWARD
Christ the Captain of our salvation on thu
white horse riding down our foes; but in thu
moment He made the victorious charge, tn,
lances of death struck Him!
There was very touching scene among al
Indian tribe in the last century 1t seemet
that one of the chieftains had slain man be
longing to an opposite tribe, and that trib
came up and said: 1--WE will exterminate yol
unless you surrender the man who COMMITTEES
that crima." The chieftain who did the Grim
stepped out from the ranks and said: 81 an
not afraid to die, but have wife and fou
children, and have father aged and
mother aged, whom | support by hunting
and sorrow to leave them helpless Just as h
said that his oh father from behind stepped ou
and said: HE shall not die | take hi
place. am old and well-stricken in years
can do no good might as well die Ny
days are almost over. He cannot be spared
Take me" And they accepted the sacrifice
Wonderful sacrifice! you say, but not so won
derful as that found in the Gospel, for we de
served to die, aye, we were sentenced whei
christ, not worn out with years but il
the flush of His youth, said: "Sav
that man from going down to the pit
J. am the ransom. Put his burdens on m,
shoulders. Let His stripes fall on my back
Take my heart for His heart Let me d
that He may live.n Shall it be told to -day il
heaven that Notwithstanding all those wounds
and all that blood, and all those tears, and al
Ndat agony, you would not accept Himi
"Was it for crimes that had done,
He groaned upon the tree.
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
... And love beyond degree"
There is no woe amid the surroundings @
that scene that impresses me more than tina
OF His own mother. You need not point he
out to me. can see by the sorrow, the ar
gush the woe, by the upthrown hands. Tha
all means mother. "Ohn YOU say, "wb
didn't she go down to the foot of tba hill on